The Ghosts That Taunt Us
by whimsicalwombat
Summary: Because the ghost that is the truth about Samar's brother, never seems to stop haunting her... In all the years that Samar thought her brother was dead, what else did Shahin get up to? What if suddenly, Samar finds out she had a niece she never knew about? Part 1 of The Mina Chronicles series of one/two shots (Post S3 AU)
1. Chapter 1

Samar sighed wearily as she pushed open her front door and trudged into her apartment. She let the door fall closed behind her, not even paying it a second glance. It had been a long day at the Post Office –a long _week_ , in fact- and all she really wanted to do was collapse on the couch with a book and a glass of wine... And then _sleep_ for the entire weekend.

Or at least, _half_ of the weekend. Perhaps the entire weekend was a little too dramatic.

Regardless, that was how Samar felt. She threw her bag down in the corner of the living room, and pulled her phone out of her pocket as she collapsed onto the soft cushions of the couch; _five missed calls_. Samar furrowed her brow in confusion; they were all from the same number. Shaking her head, and wondering who on earth could have been that desperate to reach her all day, she played through her voicemails...

...And then she froze.

She rose immediately from her seat on the couch, reaching once again for her bag and her keys, and practically sprinted out of the apartment.

/*/*/*/*

' _Ms Navabi, this is Social Services,_ again _... Regarding your niece. Please call us back as soon as possible_ ,' the last message had been the shortest, each of them steadily shorter from the first one onwards as the caller's patience had apparently waned with each call. Samar rushed through the hospital corridors, trying to find her way to the room on the children's ward that the first call had guided her to...

... _Her niece?_

Samar had no nieces or nephews that she knew of. Her only sibling was Shahin, and she was fairly certain he had never had any children. None of it made any sense. She rounded the corner, pausing in her tracks only as she spotted the door to the room she was looking for. With a deep breath, she knocked on the half-ajar door. Samar poked her head around the door a second later; inside the room, besides a nurse, and the people in suits that she presumed were the representatives of Social Services and the Citizenship and Immigration Services mentioned in the first and second calls, Samar's gaze swept across the room past them to the hospital bed and its tiny inhabitant... And then she froze, _again_.

Samar had thought it was all a mistake, but it couldn't be. Shahin had always said she looked just like their mother, and the little girl curled up sound asleep looked much the same. The resemblance was uncanny.

'Ms Navabi?' The voice of one of the other adults in the room snapped Samar from her stunned staring. She nodded wordlessly in response. 'I'm sorry,' the man spoke again, suddenly frowning in confusion at the expression on her face, 'but have you not seen your niece before?' Samar shifted her gaze to meet his eye, opening and closing her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. She glanced back at the little girl sleeping again for a moment, before shaking her head and staring directly back to the man who had asked the question.  
'I didn't know I _had_ a niece,' Samar murmured quietly. She took a breath, and then another; slowly, and deeply. 'How is this _possible?'_ She breathed.  
'Was your brother Shahin Navabi?' The man asked. Samar nodded curiously, not even registering in her brain that the man hadn't yet actually introduced himself or the other woman in the room. 'Well then, I guess you _do_ have a niece,' the man said impatiently in response.  
'But-' Samar began, before pausing and falling silent once more. What felt like a million questions were rolling around in her mind, and she didn't know which to ask first. _How could she have a niece and not know about it? How was that niece there, in DC, when Shahin had never been particularly warm towards the United States?_

The man, almost as if finally recognising the need to ease some confusion, pulled a thin file from his briefcase as Samar's gaze returned silently, and disbelievingly to the little girl once more.

'Perhaps you should sit down,' he said, albeit more gently this time. Samar did as instructed, and the man finally introduced himself as Doug Jansen, of Immigration Services. The woman, Martha Spencer, was the representative from Social Services who had made the five phone calls. Samar listened wordlessly as they explained, and ran through a series of various Iranian government documents and their official English translations; Shahin had married just a few months after supposedly dying in Pishin –to a woman Samar had only met once and then never heard from again after the funeral. Their child – _Mina_ , her name was- was born a little over a year later, in October 2010... She was now five, nearly six... And a little more than a year before the present, Mina and her mother had arrived in the US, seeking asylum. By that point, they hadn't heard from Shahin in three years.

The sheer volume of information was too much for Samar, it was overwhelming... And it still didn't make any sense. Clearly, Mina's mother –a quiet, but kind woman named Zahra, Samar remembered as she thought back- had known that Shahin didn't die in Pishin, but then at the same time she didn't seem to know who Shahin really was. All Jansen had in his file, from reports and translations of Zahra's broken story was that Shahin had gone 'missing' some time during 2012... And that she was looking for Samar in the hope of finding Shahin. At least, however, the timing lined up. 2012 was when Samar and her partner had followed traces of Zal Bin Hasaan to Egypt, long before realising who he was.  
'Wait a minute,' Samar finally spoke up, her voice barely audible but no less determined. 'Why am I here? Where's Zahra?' Doug and Martha exchanged cautious glances, before slowly answering;  
'She was on her way to an appointment at my office two days ago,' Doug said slowly, 'when a truck collided with the taxi she and Mina were travelling in. Zahra didn't make it... That leaves you as Mina's only living relative that we can find.' Samar gaze swept once more over Mina's tiny, sleeping form.  
'Is she ok?' She asked quietly, almost too terrified to hear the answer.  
'She has a mild concussion, and a few cuts and bruises, but she was on the opposite side of the car and missed most of the impact... She'll be just fine.'

/*/*/*/*

No matter how many hours passed after Samar reluctantly returned home from the hospital and went to bed, she still couldn't sleep. There was so much confusion, so many questions, so much information to take in... And so many decisions to make. It seemed almost impossible, no matter the fact that little Mina had been right there in front of her, that Shahin could possibly have had a child, let alone one she didn't know about. It seemed so unbelievable, Samar didn't even know how to respond. For once, her strong-willed, determined, and decisive nature had gone flying out the window in favour of a speechless, stunned, uncertain shell. In short, her options were to either not take Mina, and leave her to the uncertainty of being an unaccompanied minor in a foreign country –and then possibly sent back to Iran and some orphanage where she would be forgotten about... Or to possibly take her little niece in. The former had been instantly dismissed as soon as the words had come tumbling out of Jansen's mouth; no matter the shock and surprise, there was no way Samar was going to leave her niece to that fate. But as for the latter... There was so much paperwork to sort out, Social Services inspections of her apartment to undergo in order to show that it was adequate for raising a child, just to see if Samar would be _allowed_ to take Mina in... Then after that, there would be the extensive and frustrating process of changing her visa to reflect the fact that then she would be a dependent minor for Samar, and then having that approved too.

Samar rolled over restlessly for the third time in as many minutes as she tried to get her head around it all... And that was just the practical side of things. Samar didn't know how to feel about taking in the daughter of the brother who had betrayed her so badly, let alone the fact that she had never really wanted a child in the first place. The words she had spoken to Liz nearly a year earlier –that being a parent and having a career was like having two full time jobs at once- were still what she believed... And really, the question that had taunted her all night reared its ugly head once more; _what was she supposed to do with a five year old when she knew nothing about kids?_

And yet somehow, Samar wasn't considering any single option other than fighting to keep Mina safe, and with her. She only hoped that after that, Mina wouldn't then be ripped away from her and sent back to Iran, regardless.

/*/*/*/*

Saturday came... Martha brought Mina to Samar's apartment from the hospital, taking a tentative peek around the place as she did so. For once, Samar felt overwhelmingly relieved that she had a spare bedroom set up for guests, despite the fact that she never seemed to have guests stay over... Well... Ever. The room was minimal for that reason, no more than a bed and a chest of drawers, but it was somewhere for Mina, nonetheless. Samar was given the key to the small apartment where Mina and Zahra had been living, so that she could stop by and pick up Mina's belongings... And then Martha left, with the promise of being in touch again in the next couple of days.

Samar didn't know what to say to the little girl standing shyly in the middle of her living room. Mina had barely said a word since Martha had introduced them... Apparently she generally didn't talk much at all, though Samar _did_ have to wonder how much of that was simply because Mina simply didn't speak English, and before now had been using a translator to communicate with Social Services and everyone else.

With an awkward attempt at a reassuring smile, Samar guided Mina towards the bathroom to give her a bath. It was clear the little girl hadn't had one since before the accident; there were still patches of grime on her arms and legs, and her dark, curly hair was stuck, slick and greasy, to the sides of her face. It was all Samar could think of to try and make her niece more comfortable; chattering quietly in Farsi – _any_ kind of small talk really, to stave off the silence- while she scrubbed Mina's hair and then eventually, wrapped her in a thick, fluffy towel.

It was then, that Samar realised the next problem; Mina had arrived with nothing but the clothes she was wearing, and the teddy bear in her hand that Martha had bought from the hospital gift shop.

/*/*/*/*

Mina's hand clasped firmly in hers, Samar strode cautiously down the hallway of the apartment building that Mina and Zahra had lived in. Already, her gut was churning. The building was in a dingy part of town as it was –Samar recalled what Doug had said the night before about Zahra having arrived in the States with only what she could fit in a hand-luggage sized suitcase- but the building itself was nearly falling apart at the seams.

A breath caught in Samar's throat as they entered the small apartment and she glanced around; the furniture, as expected, was the basic few items that tended to come with the apartment... But the paint was peeling from the walls, the lights flickered dimly, and the carpet frayed at her feet –the precious little that Zahra had been able to afford for herself and her daughter while awaiting their admittance to the country. Mina, however, recognised exactly where she was. A small smile lit her face and she pulled her hand away from Samar, strolling happily into the apartment and then into what seemed to be her room. That gesture in itself, struck an even greater chord with Samar.

This apartment, for Mina, was _home_.

Samar followed Mina, without a word, but putting on as genuine a smile as she could muster as the little girl proudly showed off her few belongings; a handful of clothes, three faded picture books, two home made cloth dolls, a small jigsaw puzzle, a clearly well-loved pack of crayons and a few scattered drawings, and one pair of shoes.

The more she saw, the more Samar's heart continued to feel like it was breaking into a hundred pieces.

Leaving Mina to it for a moment, Samar ducked out of the room and tried to regain some sense of composure. She took a deep breath, smiling a little at the sound of Mina humming happily to herself as she cradled her dolls, before spotting the small suitcase Zahra had left lying in the hall. Samar grabbed it as quick as she could, darting around the few other rooms of the apartment and scooping up everything she could find... Every last memory of Zahra for her little girl... Before finally returning to Mina's side.  
' _Come on, Mina_ ,' she said gently, ' _are you ready to go?'_  
' _Nooo_...' The little girl whined, looking sadly at her toys, ' _I don't want to leave them_...' Samar steeled herself, determined not to let herself break in front of her niece. Little Mina had been through enough tragedy of her own in her short life already; she certainly didn't need any more.  
' _It's ok_ ,' Samar tried to reassure Mina, ' _we're going to take everything with us, you don't have to leave them_.' Mina pouted for a moment, but reluctantly conceded. She shuffled around the small space, placing each and every last one of her few things carefully into the suitcase, before Samar zipped it up. Doug hadn't been kidding; everything really did fit into the one bag.

Trying to push the idea out of her mind, Samar plastered another smile across her face, and led the way out once more... Mina trailing quietly by her side.

/*/*/*/*

It took all of ten minutes after returning to Samar's apartment, before she realised the next problem. She sorted through Mina's small collection of clothes, while Mina positioned the rest of her belongings as she liked them around the apartment. The dolls and teddy bear went on her bed, the picture books on the nightstand, and the puzzle, crayons, and drawings on the coffee table in the living room. Samar didn't dare question the choices or suggest that any item go anywhere else –not that she really needed to, anyway. Mina was happy for the moment, and that was all that mattered. But the dilemma, Samar noted as she folded the clothes and put them away in the chest of drawers, was that most of them were too small, or would only _just_ fit. If Samar didn't already feel like she had taken a few punches to the gut that day, she certainly did then.

Regardless, Samar was almost functioning as if on autopilot when it came to the new taking-care-of-a-five-year-old thing, so she made a sandwich for each of them, then carried them both across to the living room where Mina was busily sitting on the floor, leaning against the coffee table, and scribbling away with her crayons. On some level, Samar was relieved that Mina didn't really seem to understand what was going on but on the other hand, she couldn't bear the thought of the moment where Mina would inevitably ask when her mother was coming back. Social Services had forgotten to clarify whether they'd already had that particular talk with Mina or not.

/*/*/*/*

With lunch out of the way, and a few more drawings done and stuck to the fridge, Samar reluctantly led Mina through the mall. She didn't want to have to drag Mina around any more than she already had that day but the reality was, if she didn't, Mina was going to very quickly run out of clothes. Mina's chocolate brown eyes went wide with wonder as they strolled through the mall's entrance and she looked around.. And then she suddenly froze.

The little girl gave a whimper and quickly wrapped herself around Samar's leg just before they joined the crowd of shoppers. Samar stopped, looking down cautiously at the visibly terrified expression on Mina's face. She pried the little girl from her leg, and then crouched down beside her.  
' _You don't like crowds, Mina?'_ She asked gently. Mina hurriedly shook her head, and her lip began to tremble again. Samar ran a hand through Mina's freshly washed curls and stroked her cheek.  
'... _There are too many people_ ,' Mina mumbled back, a few tears beginning to roll down her face. Samar quickly wiped them away, and wrapped her arms reassuringly around the little girl.  
' _What if I carry you and keep you safe up high?'_ She asked, _'will that help?'_ Mina hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. She slid her arms over Samar's shoulders and around her neck, and Samar immediately lifted her up. Mina was tense, her tiny shoulders raised, and her eyes alert... Scanning the mall's entry hall. Samar rubbed a few gentle circles along her back, before beginning to walk again and making a point of trying to walk around the crowd's edges rather than barging straight through as she normally would. ' _You're being very brave_ ,' Samar murmured to her as they moved, ' _we're nearly there, ok?_ ' Samar tried not to focus on her own fears –the fears of somehow screwing it all up, and traumatising Mina more rather than taking proper care of her- and instead kept murmuring every reassuring word she could think of to the little girl clinging to her for dear life.

Samar continued to carry her even when they did get past the crowd and entered the store she was looking for. The store itself wasn't crowded at all, but she wanted to give Mina time to breathe... And not put her down again until they reached the specific section of the store they needed.

Finally, Mina seemed to calm, and stood happily beside Samar once more. They stood right in the centre of the wide array of girls' clothes, and for once, Samar didn't know what to do... She was used to only clothes shopping for herself; marching straight into a store, confidently picking out what she liked, paying at the counter and then leaving again. But this time, she wasn't buying for herself, and she had no idea what Mina would like. It was completely different. With a small, almost amused sigh, Samar crouched down by Mina's side again.  
' _Ok, we're going to have to be a team here_ ,' she said, grinning slightly. Mina pulled a face in confusion. ' _We need to get you some new clothes, but there are too many choices. Do you think you can help me?_ ' Mina's eyes went wide again, but this time in delight. She nodded eagerly, and looked around at all the clothes hanging from their racks. Most kids liked to be big kids and try to 'help', Samar at least knew that much. She smiled, relieved to see Mina happy again, and allowed the little girl to take her hand and lead the way. A pair of jeans with tiny butterflies and flowers embroidered around the pockets caught Mina's attention, as did a purple dress with white polka dots. Both went straight away into Samar's basket. Three brightly coloured t-shirts with prints were picked next; one with birds, one with a rainbow, and one with butterflies. Then, some dark purple leggings with pastel blue butterflies. Samar's lip quirked up as she started to recognise the patterns and get a feel for Mina's tastes; bright colours –especially shades of purple- and butterflies. Mina _definitely_ seemed to like butterflies. Samar started to point out a few things and make suggestions... And with every item that Mina approved, Samar felt a small inner victory –like she was doing something _right_. The basket slowly filled, not quite with every butterfly printed thing in the store, but certainly with enough clothes, pajamas, underwear, and socks to get them through a week or two and have a few variations until laundry day –and two more pairs of shoes as well. There was no point only picking up a few things, when Mina needed so many –picking up a variety while they were already on a roll would mean that they didn't have to return to the crowded mall again any time soon.

Mina returned to her side once more, also apparently satisfied with all the choices. The ecstatic grin was etched nearly ear to ear across her face, and Samar didn't even _have_ to wonder if that was because Mina had never had _so_ many new clothes at once before. Samar gazed around the store, wondering if there was anything else they needed while they were there... And then something caught her eye. She had an idea. She tugged Mina's hand along, and the little girl followed happily... All the way across the store to the bedroom furniture.

The guest room that was now Mina's was bland and generic, and not at all equipped for the needs of anyone staying there permanently. Samar plucked a set of purple sheets from a display shelf... And then Mina gasped in delight as she spotted a purple comforter with blue, green, and white butterflies swirled across it. Needless to say, Samar promptly picked that up too... As well as a couple of colouring books, picture books, and some more crayons as they walked past them on the way to the checkouts.

There, that was a start at making things a little more comfortable.

/*/*/*/*

The crowd while exiting the mall was just as terrifying as the crowd entering it, but then Samar had a strategy to deal with it. Juggling Mina in her arms alongside all the shopping bags wasn't easy, but at least it seemed that they were both united in their determination to get through it. By the time they returned to Samar's apartment building for the second time that day, Mina was tired... And Samar felt like some kind of human yo-yo from all the goings in and out. Regardless, Mina sat comfortably on her knee, nestled against her shoulder as Samar read to her from one of the new books in the laundry room and waited for all her new things to be washed.

It had been a long day... But somehow, in that time they had bonded. They were both still somewhat terrified; Mina, by the strange new apartment with the strange new aunt she had never met, and Samar, by the whole situation and all that it implied... But at least they were adjusting.

Eventually, after washing and drying, after dinner time and bath time... Mina snuggled into her new sheets and comforter, arms wrapped tightly around her teddy bear and dolls. Just like that, with the brighter, more child-friendly bed-coverings, the room already looked better –and far less cold and impersonal. Samar tucked Mina in, pausing only to note that some kind of bookshelf or small desk would be a nice addition, as well as some brighter curtains, some frames for the few photos Zahra had kept in a tattered envelope, or even a lamp or nightlight too, before turning off the light.  
' _Goodnight Mina_ ,' Samar murmured from the doorway. There was a pause with no response, and Samar instantly furrowed her brow in concern.  
' _Samar?'_ Mina's quiet voice finally piped up. It registered in Samar's brain that despite everything they had done throughout the day, that was the first time Mina had said her name. For some reason that Samar couldn't pinpoint, that felt both gut wrenching, _and_ reassuring.  
' _Yes?'_ Samar whispered back.  
' _Can we draw some more pictures tomorrow?'_ The little girl asked, ' _I liked that, it was fun.'_  
' _Of course,'_ Samar said, smiling softly through the darkness. ' _Can I put them on the fridge too?_ '  
' _Yes!'_ Mina giggled, ' _that's where all the drawings go!_ ' Samar chuckled to herself until Mina spoke up again; ' _goodnight Samar.'_

Slowly but surely, Samar turned and made her way back down the apartment hallway towards the living room; she was exhausted from the worry, the nerves, and the stressing about what to do. With trying to stay upbeat for Mina's sake and all the other busyness of the day, Samar had barely had time to think. It seemed so strange to have gone from living alone one day, to all of a sudden having her life turned upside down and a child thrust upon her the next. The more Samar sat and thought about it, the more she could see inklings of resemblance to Shahin in Mina; little gestures and facial expressions that were exactly like Shahin's when he was that young... That was even stranger –and almost disturbing too, given what Shahin had eventually become- and yet, at the same time, it was almost comforting. It was some sense of familiar amongst all the fear. Not _every_ memory of Shahin was bad, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of Mina crying out in distress, jolted Samar from her own restless slumber. Samar hurriedly clambered out of bed and ran down the hall, turning on the light to Mina's room and then immediately crouching by the bedside. Little Mina was curled up in about as tight a ball as humanly possible, with her face buried deeply into her pillow, and sobbing desperately.  
' _Mina_ ,' Samar spoke softly, ' _what's wrong?_ ' She bit her lip in concern, and gently ran her fingers through Mina's hair... But Mina didn't respond. She didn't shy away from the touch at all, but she didn't verbalise a response either; it was almost as if she was frozen. Samar tried to block the worry about all the potential causes for Mina's distress from her mind; it could be anything... She could have had a nightmare, or she could be sick, or perhaps have some kind of internal injury not picked up earlier at the hospital that was only now starting to hurt. Samar wasn't one to dismiss any option, she had experienced each of them herself. ' _Can you tell me what's wrong?_ ' She asked again, the desperation just starting to creep into her voice. Samar couldn't help if she didn't know what was wrong, and not being able to help or comfort the distressed little girl in front of her, was a thought Samar couldn't bear. Not knowing what else to do, Samar rose from the floor to a leaning position, sliding her arms around Mina and scooping her up to hold her close. Mina latched her hands around Samar's shirt so tightly that her knuckles paled, and she buried her face once more –but this time into Samar's shoulder. Samar slowly walked a few laps around the room, rubbing Mina's back again and murmuring soothing words until finally, she leaned against the wall, slid down and sat in the corner of the room. Samar cradled Mina to her chest as the little girl continued to sob, but she paid no attention to the puddle of tears steadily running down her shirt. Instead, all that ran through Samar's mind was that feeling of utter helplessness; she didn't know what to do or what to say...

...And so she began to hum.

She hummed all that she could remember of the lullabies her mother used to sing to her and Shahin. Not that Samar could remember any of the words at all after all the time that had passed, but she did remember the tune. Samar hummed softly in Mina's ear, still holding her close and rubbing her back and finally, the cries began to ease. Mina sniffled a few times before Samar finally stopped humming.  
' _What's wrong, Mina?'_ She asked again.  
' _When I fall asleep_ ,' the little girl began, sniffling and hiccupping her way through the words, ' _I see the big truck, and then I wake up again_.' Samar's face crumpled as she understood; _the big truck_. Mina was dreaming about the car accident. Slowly standing up again, Samar made a mental note to discuss that with Social Services. In the meantime, she carried Mina through the apartment, first to the bathroom and then to the kitchen, to wash her face and pour her a glass of water –at which point, Samar made another mental note to add plastic cups and other kitchenware to the steadily growing list of things she needed to buy- before slowly returning to Mina's room. It felt so wrong to just tuck her in to bed and tell her to go back to sleep when the likelihood was that Mina was going to keep having the nightmares, but Samar didn't know what else to do. She stayed by the bedside just long enough to hum that old song again a few more times until Mina fell asleep once more... And then with a weary yawn, Samar switched off the light and went back to bed.

She had barely dozed off again, when the sound of tiny footsteps came padding down the hall and into her room –and Samar's eyes snapped open. Samar blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could just see Mina standing there, lip trembling again. Without a word, Mina clambered up onto the bed and curled into Samar's side... And for a second, Samar was stunned. She quickly shook it off though, and wound her arms tightly around her tiny niece, humming that song through just one more time before they both fell asleep.

/*/*/*/*

Sunday came and went with far less excitement; after the restless night and seeing how exhausted they _both_ were that following morning, Samar opted not to go out and about again that day. Instead, they drew pictures, read stories, and watched a few Disney movies –in short, staying within the comfort of home. Mina's mood was as up and down as it had been the day before, but Samar was quickly learning more about what kept her happy, and what distressed her.

She may not have known exactly what to do, but Samar had _always_ been a fast learner.

Between activities –and while Mina was distracted- Samar even managed to make a few phone calls; for one, Martha from Social Services called, demanding a report on the first twenty four hours. Samar ran through everything, to which Martha simply responded that she'd check in again the next day. To be frank, Samar wasn't sure if that was supposed to make her feel better or worse. Regardless she pressed onwards, then calling Cooper to _briefly_ explain that there was a 'family situation' and request a personal week to help Mina settle in. Thankfully, he approved it without hesitation, telling her to take as long as she needed –and to let him know if there was anything the team could do to help.

The evening wore on, Mina went to bed thankfully not quite as exhausted as the night before, and Samar collapsed onto the couch with her laptop. She read the news –having not caught any of it in a few days- and then moved onto some online shopping; if she was going to buy furniture that probably had to be delivered anyway, she may as well save Mina the trouble of being dragged through potential crowds at stores. Samar smiled softly as she discovered the perfect desk-shelf combination for Mina's room; a slightly longer desk that instead of drawers or table legs, had one column of cube style shelving at either end... Low to the ground storage for all Mina's books and toys, where everything would be well within her grasp. And then, because the store was having a sale and Samar had to pay delivery anyway, she also added a set of purple curtains dotted all over with silver stars, and a matching lamp.

... _And_ , some plastic kitchenware.

It wouldn't be delivered for a couple of days, but at least –though exhausted- Samar felt somewhat successful, and like she was finally getting on top of things.

She eventually went to bed... Only for Mina to come creeping into her room again a little after three in the morning. It wasn't ideal, but Samar did have to concede that at least while Mina was struggling to sleep, it was probably a better option than her sobbing in distress in her own room. At least that way, both their sleep wasn't interrupted quite so much. Samar wrapped her arms around Mina, and Mina nestled contentedly into them.

/*/*/*/*

Monday came with meetings and appointments, with pretty much everyone; Social Services, Immigration Services, and the doctor who treated Mina after the accident and wanted to follow up with another check up.

Curiously enough, Mina shied away from all of them as she always had done... But this time, by nuzzling into _Samar_.

Samar tried not to let her surprise show, but she couldn't help but make the observation that it went a long way to show just how attached to her Mina had become –and just how quickly. A second later, and Samar also realised; she was already attached too. She was still figuring things out, but she no longer felt so strange or uncomfortable with the idea of cuddling her little niece. At first she had been reluctant to ever reach out and hold Mina's hand, and now she held Mina close without even thinking about it... As if it came to her completely naturally. Perhaps it was because Samar had been so used to taking care of Shahin when they were younger that though she wasn't so enthusiastic about the idea of having a child now, the motions were simply coming back to her... Or perhaps Samar had a more natural motherly instinct than she first thought. Either way, when asked if she was sure she wanted Mina to continue living with her, Samar's answer was a resounding _yes_.

That of course set the ball rolling; scheduling child welfare inspections, dealing with all the questions about Mina's schooling and of course, how it would fit in around Samar's work schedule.

Once again, it was all a bit much. Samar and Mina walked out of the final appointment about as cranky at it all as each other. Needless to say, as they happened to walk past an ice cream parlour on the way back to Samar's car, and notice that it wasn't at all crowded, Samar's lip quirked up.  
' _Mina?'_ Samar hummed, affectionately swinging the little girl's hand back and forth. Mina glanced up, questioningly meeting Samar's gaze. ' _Do you like ice cream?'_ Mina nodded quickly, a wide smile lighting up her face as her head bobbed up and down. That settled it; the two of them walked –still hand in hand- into the ice cream shop. Mina stood on her tip toes at first, trying to see all the way into the display cabinets and eye all the different flavours, but she wasn't _quite_ tall enough. Samar held back a laugh, and immediately lifted Mina up so she could see. Mina practically squealed with glee as she suddenly –and unexpectedly- found herself rising higher in the air. Without even thinking about it, and once she had Mina in her arms, Samar blew a raspberry on Mina's cheek, making the little girl giggle even more so.  
'Aw, your daughter is so sweet, she looks just like you,' came the rather jovial voice of the woman behind the counter.  
'Oh, no,' Samar began, almost instinctively, in fact. 'She's not my-' Samar suddenly paused, shifting her gaze back to Mina, and smiling softly as she brushed the loose hair off the little girl's cheeks for a moment. Instantly calmer, Samar returned her gaze to the woman behind the counter. '-She's not my daughter,' Samar explained completely casually, as she spotted the curious expression on the woman's face, 'she's my niece.'  
'Ah,' the woman nodded in understanding, and smiled warmly. 'Aunty and niece girls day out, then?' Samar simply gave a wry smile.  
'Something like that,' she said softly, before turning her attention back to Mina; ' _what's your favourite kind of ice cream, hmm?'_ Mina screwed up her face, eyeing all the choices almost suspiciously as if figuring out the answer to some kind of impossible trick question.  
' _Strawberry_ ,' she finally said, nodding adamantly. Mina eyed Samar just as suspiciously for a second before speaking again; ' _what's your favourite, Samar?'  
_ ' _Chocolate_ ,' said Samar, nodding in turn. Mina gave a small shake of her head, practically _tutting_ in response.  
' _Strawberry's better,'_ she huffed.  
' _Oh yeah?'_ Samar teasingly shot back, trying desperately to keep a straight face despite how ridiculously indignant the five year old looked. Either way, Mina nodded adamantly yet again. ' _Well, you can have the strawberry ice cream all to yourself then.'_

Samar chuckled to herself as she placed the order; Mina was just as cheeky as she and Shahin had always been as kids.

The woman behind the counter added extra sprinkles to Mina's ice cream -despite Samar not having asked for them- with nothing but a friendly quip about how adorable she was. A strange feeling of pride swelled in Samar's chest as she said it, before earnestly thanking the woman and slowly exiting the store. Mina's delighted eyes, however, were all too focused on the sheer amount of brightly coloured sprinkles on the ice cream in her hands.

/*/*/*/*

The rest of Samar's personal week passed... Mina's room looked great once it was decked out with her desk and shelves –which in turn, she gleefully filled with her books and her crayons- the purple curtains, the lamp, and Zahra's photos in matching frames. Samar had framed and arranged the photos first, with Mina bursting into tears again when she first saw them. Understandably she missed her mother terribly and the photo was a sudden reminder, but the gutwrenching part for Samar was when Mina recognised Shahin too. She hadn't seen him in nearly four years by that point, but Mina recognised the photo of herself as a toddler wedged happily between both her parents. Of course, Mina had no idea what Shahin had become after that –simply that he was her dad... And in all fairness, Samar could understand that. Shahin was her brother, and she had loved him too. Those words she had said to Reddington on the pier were true; Hasaan wasn't her brother. The brother she had loved, had died in Pishin. That was something Samar and Mina could share; remembering the good memories of the Shahin they knew, and nothing more.

Mina wouldn't let Samar frame the photo at first, instead clutching it protectively for several minutes until she realised what Samar was doing with it. Samar then framed all six of the old photos of the little family that Zahra had kept in the tattered envelope, and guided Mina to her room –both of them then working together to arrange them nicely in a sort of collage along one wall where Mina could see them whenever she wanted to.

Next came the desk, and once that was in her room and filled with her books, Mina didn't want to leave it. She sat there, at her desk in front of her newly purple curtain-framed window, drawing and colouring for about a half hour straight before finally deciding she was hungry and reluctantly retreating to where Samar sat in amusement in the living room.

Samar eventually returned to work; the team was shocked to learn of just how dramatically her life had changed in the previous seven days but they were no less sympathetic. For Samar, it had felt like so much longer than a week. It had been an utter whirlwind, but Samar had fallen into a routine with Mina so quickly out of sheer necessity for the little girl to adjust to her new surroundings, that it felt like months had passed. For the first few days until arrangements were made for Mina's school enrolment and a language assistant, Cooper allowed Mina to sit in the break room or Aram's desk –depending on whether there were any gory case details on the overhead screens- with her colouring books, and despite the language barrier the little girl seemed to take quite a liking to the Strategic and Tactical Technician... Especially when he proudly stuck one of her drawings to the side of his monitor.

/*/*/*/*

Another week passed.

Samar awoke with a jump on the Friday morning when a sudden weight landed on top of her.  
' _Samar, Samar, wake up!_ ' Mina exclaimed happily as she ran into the room and jumped up onto the bed, on top of Samar. ' _I didn't have bad dreams this time!_ ' Samar snuck a wary glance at the clock and noted with amusement that it was only five thirty in the morning –really only some two hours or so after Mina would normally have come running in. Normally she would object to being so rudely awoken at that hour, but Mina just seemed _so_ utterly overjoyed, that Samar couldn't help but smile at the giggling little girl squirming happily in her arms.  
' _I love you, Samar,'_ Mina suddenly piped up. Samar paused, staring at her –completely stunned- for a moment. Mina had said the words as naturally and as casually as any five year old would, but Samar hadn't expected them. And yet... They filled her with joy. Shaking the surprise away, Samar pressed a gentle kiss to Mina's forehead.  
' _I love you too, Mina_ ,' she murmured back. Samar smiled warmly, reflecting calmly to herself as her niece nestled happily into the blankets next to her; she had no idea what was going to happen next. So many questions and things to figure out still hung in the air, that it was overwhelming... Samar didn't know for sure how she was going to make any of it work out, yet she didn't regret the instant decision to protect and take in her brother's little girl, and... She was happy.


End file.
